Sacramento daily record-union. [volume] (Sacramento [Calif.]) 1875-1891, 1887-02-12
WINES OF CALIFORNIA.
RAPID DEVELOPMENT OF VIII.
CULTURE IN THE STATE.
Prejudices Against Pure Native
Wines Rapidly Disappearing
Statistics of the Vineyards.

letter from tne pen OF MAJOR Deu' ". lio-
man, is published in the New York Times,
concerning California wines and their de-
velopment, and from which letter the fol-
lowing excerpts are taken:
In gold, wheat and wine. California con-
tributes largely to the wealth of the coun-
try, and she is the most extensive producer
of the three products above-named of all
the States. While there will continue to
be great gold and wheat yields annually
for many years TO come, it is chiefly in the
VINEYARDS of California that the people of
the Eastern States are at present interested.
They do not desire to see the consumption
of either American whisky or French
brandy increase, and they are getting tired
of paving upset rates for foreign wines that
have generally been put through processes
of adulteration. Besides, all experience
shows that the inhabitants of wine produc-
ing districts are generally temperate; while
in colder countries by the use OF fiery pota-
tons, drunkenness is much more common.
This has been the case for centuries. and 1t
is doubtful if either preaching or legisla
ton is likely to reverse completely the i'm
memorial result. The true reformer there
fore will favor the production and dissent
nation OF light or other good wines, which
shall in measure take the place of the
fabricated liquors into which so many
large quantities of good breadstCffs are
everywhere distilled.
drinking is greatly on the increase
among the American people; and, while
he VINEYARDS of France and other foreign
countries will for long time contribute
portions of their vinous products, the vine
yards of New York and New Jersey, and
those on the banks of the Ohio and upper
Mississippi, will furnish part of the needed
supply. But no one acquainted with the
varied soils and diversified climate of Cali
fornia can doubt that it is to that State that
the American people are to look for the
wines that will in time make them forget
Bordeaux Rheims Epernay, Oporto, Ma
deira and Tokay.
The excellence of the California produc-
tons lies in their absolute purity, but they
lack age and that exquisite manipulation
which imparts to imported connections
mellow taste and an acceptable aroma
There is nutty flavor to the so-called
cheap sherry from abroad that often
pleases the senses more than that of the
unadulterated sherry sent from here, but
the former is actually guilty of deleterious
effects. while the latter is only deemed de-
icient in high-bred quality-which may be
traced to its newness and nothing else.
here however, and all of the clubs but
one and the first-class hotels generally use
the imported article. OF Angelica wine
the same may be said-it has always been
a favorite in the East, but it is generally
spurned here. This is the wine, though,
which attracted the admiration of the
Jurors at the French Exposition nineteen
years ago.
There are three distinct wine districts in
California The coast range district, which
includes Sonoma, Lake Napa, Alameda,
Santa Cruz and Santa Clara counties the
Sierra Nevada foothill and Sacramento
valley district, taking in Placer, Ell Dorado,
Tuolumne. Yuba, Yolo, Sacramento and
Tehama counties, and the southern district,
embracing San Bernardino, Los Angeles,
San Diego and Fresno counties. The first
excels, on the whole, in its white and red
acid wines, such as hook, claret, sauterne,
burgundy and others; the second pro-
duces most excellent dry wines of exquisite
bouquet, many of which bear greater re-
semblance to the wines of Hungary, Greece
and Cape Constantia than to those of
France, Italy and Germany the third dis
trict, while it has achieved much success
during the past fifteen years in its produc-
tons of hook, burgundy and claret, excels
greatly in its port, sherry, madeira, an
gelica and other sweet and heavy wines.
In the manufacture of these latter there is
no doctoring or adulteration of any kind
carried on, and no favoring, coloring, or
sweetening. except as brandy is added from
the same grape to certain sweet wines or
juices from wild grapes, as far as is known
by the writer. j am informed, however,
that some few INSCRIPTIONS makers of
warrented fine clarets give higher color
to their productions by introducing the
Juice of the cherry rather than by blending
with some wine of high color, but which
they do not have.
California exported 5.022,474 gallons dur
ing 1856, and produced about 49, 00, 600 or
more. The number of gallons exported
during 1885 was 4, 141,S14. The number OF
acres in vines in California in 1886, accord
ing to the aggregated assessors statistics,
which are under if anything, are 119, 80,
two-thirds of which have been planted
since 1850, or about 81, $50, 800 vines, most
of which are bearing. OF these 1875
acres, 81 ,0i3 are planted in wine grapes,
10 1919 in table grapes and 9,4SS in raisin
grapes. This one interest alone represents
a capital of $6S000, 900, and gives employ
ment directly and indirectly to quite co.
600 men. Out of the 50 counties there is
not one that does not produce grapes, As
make wine either for sale or for home con-
sumption, and "A make wine in greater
or lesser way for expectation. The largest
vineyard in the world is in California
that of Senator Leland Stanford, in Te-
hama county-3,S25 acres, or about 3,060,-
900 vines. California also has the smallest
vineyard in the world-the monster (one)
grapevine in Santa Barbara county, which
is about 63 years old. has a diameter one
foot from the ground of II inches, and
whose branches cover an area of 1900 feet.
This one vine produces from 10000 to H.,
600 pounds of grapes, and for many years
these grapes were made into wine, the pro-
cess being the treading out of the juice by
naked Indians. / have picked punches of
grapes from this vine many time that
weighed five, six and seven pounds. This
vine was planted by Mexican woman
Maria Marcilina Felix, who died under her
own vine and fig tree in 1865, aged 107.
1t may not be uninterestipg right here TO
make some comparisons, and 10 show that
while California is the great wine-growing
country of America, and that while it has
more acres of wine grapes than all the rest
of our country put together, it has got TO
do some tall work to catch up to France,
with its 5,146,7S3 acres, or more than half
the acreage i'll wine-making grapes in the
world. This makes our 81 ,0I3 acres a
mere miniature vineyard compared with
that of the Frenchman, while the latter
made 553, 923 600 gallons of wine and
brandy, against California's 100000 in
1886.
The planting, cultivation, picking and
pruning of the California grape has great
many advantages over the same processes
in France and other European grape-grow-
ing sections of country. But these are all
balanced by the low price of labor in those
countries as compared to that paid by Cal
ifornia viticulturists. In the first place,
the California vineyards are generally free
from stones, and no fertilizers are neces-
sary or are used. There is no snow at all
and seldom any rain or hail from pruning
time to vintage. There are as yet no bugs
of much concern, and the ravages of the
phylloxera in Napa and Sonoma counties
have been much subdued. The ravages of
the phylloxera in France have been dread
full; for out of her area of 5,146,7 SS acres
in 1884, 1,661 ,27s acres were attacked, and
are now dead or dying. Previous to 1884
there had been 1,072500 acres of fine grape
vines totally destroyed. and her total pro-
duction of wine in 1885 was 642, 06S, 600
gallons. 300000,00o less than the (mean)
product of ten previous seasons: while the
still further falling off for 1885 is S,14o. goo
gallons. Our other advantages are double
the foreign crop per acre, and the general
warmth and equability of the California
climate where fermentation is carried On